Troops, MILF clash anew

COTABATO CITY — After a week of tit-for-tat attacks, Muslim rebels and government forces again clashed in Datu Saudi, Maguindanao yesterday, killing a 60-year-old woman and wounding her teenage grandson in the crossfire, officials said.

About 150 rebels stormed an Army detachment, days after government troops withdrew from several villages in Midsayap town following fierce fighting that killed 15 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas, said regional Army spokesman Lt. Col. Julieto Ando.

"They are really retaliating for the deaths of their comrades. It’s not our fault," Ando said.

He said there were no casualties among soldiers, who lobbed several 105 mm. Howitzer rounds at the rebels.

MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal blamed the military for the latest clash, saying soldiers entered the rebel enclave without coordinating with a joint ceasefire committee, which is overseeing a 2003 truce.

According to initial reports, Tawte Taha and her 15-year-old grandson Rasul Balat were harvesting rice in their farm when troops from the Army’s 64th Infantry Battalion opened fire, mistaking the victims for guerrillas of the MILF’s so-called 105th Base Command.

Taha died instantly from a gunshot wound in the head while Balat was rushed to a hospital here by responding members of the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team, watching from the sidelines of the ceasefire between the government and the MILF.

Ando said they are investigating the incident.

"We need to investigate that report first before we can announce what course of action we will undertake," Ando said.

The MILF, through its news web site, said its ceasefire committee led by Von Al-Haq is preparing a formal complaint against the 6th ID.

The MILF said the uncoordinated entry of troops in Sitio Bayog, Barangay Dapiawan, where the shooting incident occurred, is a serious violation of the ceasefire.

Government troops are now on alert for possible retaliatory attacks by the MILF.

Fifteen MILF rebels and a soldier were killed Monday night in a remote village in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Reports said marauding MILF guerrillas tried to take over two Army detachments in the area but were repulsed by the troops after nine hours of fighting.

The military said the rebels even used rocket-propelled grenades in harassing the detachment of the 40th Infantry Battalion in the village of Lomobog.

The rebels were said to have been led by commanders Umbra Kato and Wahid Tundok.

The MILF said the fighting had erupted because their forces are being pushed back by the military’s presence in the area.

Government troops decided to withdraw but are also under orders to stay alert on possible retaliatory attacks from the MILF.

"They (MILF) are really retaliating for the deaths of their comrades. It’s not our fault," Ando said.

Ando said there were no casualties among the troops who lobbed several 105 mm Howitzer rounds at the rebels.

MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal blamed the military for the latest clash, saying soldiers entered the rebel territory without coordinating with a joint ceasefire committee, which is overseeing a 2003 truce.

Despite the occasional fighting, the ceasefire still stood. The two sides hope to resume Malaysian-brokered peace talks soon to discuss an accord that would grant Muslims broad autonomy.

The 11,000-strong MILF has been fighting for Muslim self-rule in the overwhelmingly Christian country for more than three decades.

The talks have been stalled for months due to a dispute over the size of the area where Muslims could exercise a measure of control under a proposed peace accord.

The Philippines and US government hope that by engaging the MILF in talks, its vast rural strongholds could potentially be transformed into economic growth hubs instead of battlefields breeding al-Qaeda-linked militants. – with AFP